Netball association appeals for sponsorship

from the Government, a Zimbabwe Netball Association official has said.
Zina president Letitia Chipandu said this in an interview soon after officiating at the Railstars awards on Friday last week.
She said netball was the second biggest sport in the country and the most played but did not enjoy the same financial backing that soccer was getting.
“Netball is one of the most followed sporting disciplines in the country. We are, however, not given the same priority as soccer despite the fact that the sport is played in every school and province in the country,” she said.
Chipandu called on the Government to assist with sponsorship as their aim was to promote the girl child.
“At the moment our teams are struggling to come up with sponsorship and it is sad that most of them are folding because of this. We are appealing to the Government for sponsorship,” she said.
The netball Super League had 16 teams most of which were self-sponsored while others are financially backed by companies.
Railstars, the only team from Bulawayo in the Super League, is sponsored by the National Railways of Zimbabwe but could also find themselves without financial backing next season despite a good run this year.
Chipandu said their aim as Zina was to get the girl child off the street by giving them some form of recreation.
“Some of the companies employ these women on condition that they also play for their teams. We are grateful for that but we also need sponsorship from the corporate world and Government,” she said.
Chipandu challenged companies that produce products that are used by women such as sanitary ware, cosmetics and household products to sponsor netball.
“We use their products on a daily basis and we call on them to assist us as well. All we are asking for is for these companies to sponsor our teams or league or tournaments,” she said.
The netball association last had sponsorship a couple of years ago when they had the Sunbeam Tournament.
The sport is one of the three major disciplines in the country with the other two being soccer and volleyball.
Netball has a huge following but has always been dogged by financial constraints.